"The Foxconn factory has reduced its employee strength from 110,000 to 50,000, thanks to the introduction of robots, said Kunshan's head of publicity Xu Yulian.

"It has tasted success in reduction of labour costs.

Apple and Samsung both work with the Foxconn company (Image: Getty)

“More companies are likely to follow suit.”

The area of Kunshan made 20 million smartphones last year from a number of different factories.

In a statement to the BBC, Foxconn Technology Group confirmed that it was automating many manufacturing tasks associated with operations but denied the prospect of long-term job losses.

A Samsung Galaxy S7 edge with 3D thermo forming (Image: Getty)

"We are applying robotics engineering and other innovative manufacturing technologies to replace repetitive tasks previously done by employees, and through training, also enable our employees to focus on higher value-added elements in the manufacturing process, such as research and development, process control and quality control.